Movie Website Updates for January 20 - January 26, 2007

January 26, 2007

This year's crop of summer blockbusters still haven't started opening movies site in earnest yet, and until they do, this column will be lacking. It's yet another week without a truly award-winning site but Catch & Release - Official Site is the best of the rest.

300 - Official Site
The new preview is now online.

1408 - Official Site
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact, I don't think it's suppose to go live at this point.

The Abandoned - Official Site
All the basics are here, sort of; the full trailer is marked coming soon with just the teaser trailer online at the moment. The only extras are a blog and some clips, (clips marked coming soon). At the moment, the site relies on the teaser trailer to sell the movie and fortunately, it is up to the task.

Across the Universe - Official Site
Just the synopsis.

Amazing Grace - Official Site
There's a lot of information here, not only on the movie but also dealing with the slave trade and the song that the movie is name after. However, the site doesn't come together very well.

Black Sheep - Official Site
Just the trailer so far, but after seeing it just once, the movie instantly became a must see.

Blood and Chocolate - Official Site
The site has the basics and a few extras, but nothing that really makes it stand out.

Bridge to Terabithia - Official Site
Some concept art was added to the site.

Catch & Release - Official Site
All of the usual features are on this site, (synopsis, production notes, cast & crew bios, image gallery, and trailer), as well as extras like interviews, soundtrack site, clips and more. However, what I like best about the site is the format; the exploration of shelf to find all of the content helps it stand out compared to the rest of this week's field. Is it enough to be award-worthy? Not really, but it's pretty close.

Epic Movie - Official Site
Feels like a overstuffed placeholder site. Does nothing to really sell the movie.

Fred Claus - Official Site
No updates this week, but after re-watching the teaser trailer last week and re-re-watching it this week, I'm starting to be a little more bullish about the film's chances. The chemistry between the two leads seems pretty good, and with a good script this could be a hit. Not a massive blockbuster, but a solid hit.

Hairspray - Official Site
The blog became very active this week and includes a short FAQ.

Hannibal Rising - Official Site
The flash site launched this week but it has just the bare minimum of content, (synopsis and trailer), and not even a hint of more to come.

The Last Sin Eater - Official Site
Just the very basics, (synopsis, image gallery and trailer). Speaking of the trailer, it is just terrible. Like Fox Faith Movies' last film, this one is going to be a tough sell, even to their churchgoing target audience.

Live Free or Die - Official Site
Not a whole lot here. Almost none of the regular features, a news section that hasn't been updated in more than six months, and a trailer marked coming soon. On the other hand, there's a section for the music that is better than most.

Mr. Bean's Holiday - Official Site
Just the trailer, which should appeal to fans of the hugely popular character. On the other hand, it is unlikely to convince others to change their mind, or even sell the film to the uninitiated. One last note, it was reported that the movie's name was changed to simply Bean II, but the website says otherwise.

Rush Hour 3 - Official Site
Arguably the dullest movie website I've ever seen.

September Dawn - Official Site
Just the trailer and some background information on the actual events and the genesis of the movie. (On a side note, they refer to Tamara Hope as a newcomer. She's not, she's Canadian and has been acting up here for quite some time.)

Seraphim Falls - Official Site
Just the bare minimum.

Smokin' Aces - Official Site
This site has all of the usual features, (synopsis, cast & crew bios, image gallery, trailers), as well as extras like video clips, background information, two games, comic books, production blog, etc. If it hadn't already won the Weekly Website Award, it would have been the clear winner this week.

An Unreasonable Man - Official Site
All the basic information for a documentary site, but like most such sites, there's not much in terms of style.


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Filed under: Movie Website Updates, Rush Hour 3, Hairspray, Bridge to Terabithia, Fred Claus, Epic Movie, Smokin' Aces, Mr. Bean’s Holiday, Hannibal Rising, Across the Universe, Catch and Release, Blood and Chocolate, The Abandoned, September Dawn, Seraphim Falls, The Last Sin Eater, Black Sheep, Live Free or Die, 300, 1408, Amazing Grace